Season 12 of Naraka: Bladepoint is now live, bringing new limited-time events, game modes, a new progression system, and finally the new character Lyam Liu.
Dubbed “Tenacity,” the new Naraka season aims to deliver the perfect mix of casual whimsy and competitive-focused changes to shake up the ranked meta, while also simplifying some long-standing pain points for new players. So fearful. For regular visitors, it takes less time.
First, to celebrate the Songkran Water Festival, players can douse each other with water guns in true Thai New Year fashion as the Swarm weapon transforms into a “Hydro-Swarm.” After completing this event, players will be able to obtain a water battle-themed legendary display emoticon, which will last until April 24th.
It remains to be seen whether 24 Entertainment has made this heavily OP to encourage you to use it like Naraka’s other best weapons.
Next, the new “Hot Potato Counter” mode has players vie for control of a ball within the arena, attacking it over other players until the ball changes color to score points. It’s intended to provide a more casual environment to practice combos and hone the core mechanics of the rock-paper-scissors combat system without the life-or-death stakes of a full ranked match – which sounds like a lot in a very technical game. Great Idea Like Naraka, learning new techniques under pressure can be difficult.
Speaking of difficulty, Season 12 also sees major changes to Naraka’s potential system, allowing you to switch between different character buffs to craft your own build. The revamped menu is still a starry sky of different nodes and buttons, and lest you think it’s been simplified, it’s divided into four areas, each with its own primary, secondary, and secondary nodes: The Sun node is focused on Wrath and ultimate, lunar node counters and rescues, full nodes, battle rhythm, origin nodes, materials and currency.
With these changes, while there’s still a lot to take in, you can already see how it’s easier to parse and focus on specific areas related to the strengths and weaknesses of your preferred role or your role on a team.
Finally, in addition to some new costumes for Matari, Tarka Ji, and Zai, Naraka will also see a new character “midway through” Season 12: Lyam Liu. Known as the “Maven Magnetist,” he possesses the ability to control metal, which hints at some interesting uses for Naraka’s list of best characters.
With the recent arrival of Shayol Wei, who has some incredible defensive abilities thanks to her turtle skills, Lyam Liu can also be a similar defensive character, literally blocking incoming attacks with metal. Or he might be more of a zoning character, placing barricades around the battlefield or trapping enemies in metal prisons – all of which are very powerful in team scenarios.
More details are expected to be revealed when Lyam Liu reaches the midpoint of Season 12.